Sayshan L. Conver-White, the 2015 Safety Officer of the Year for the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA), is committed to continuing education and sharing knowledge on firefighter safety.
“You don’t need to reinvent the wheel,” she said. “Most safety officers I know would welcome the opportunity to assist others trying to make a difference in the safety culture of their department. Let’s help each other out, and be infectious…in a good way.”
Conver-White, a battalion chief with Prince George’s County Fire/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department, was presented with the award by the International Association of Fire Chief Safety Health & Survival Section and the Fire Department Safety Officers Association in August at Fire-Rescue International in Atlanta. The award is presented annually to a safety officer in a fire department (any size or composition) who has made a significant contribution to their organization and/or the fire service as a whole in the area of health and safety.
In nominating her for the award, Assistant Fire Chief Erroll George, manager of the Department’s Safety and Risk Management Office, wrote, “In 2007, Sayshan became the department’s first on duty Safety Officer. Her passion for firefighter safety led the department to establish an Operational Safety office that now includes both a career and volunteer safety officers around the clock.”
Chief George added, “Her passion for firefighter safety has dramatically changed the safety culture within the Department…since 2013, the number of firefighter injuries has been reduced by 16 percent.”
Conver-White began her fire service career in 1991, as a volunteer with Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department, Howard County, Md. She attended University of Maryland College Park, as a Fire Protection Engineering major. She joined as a volunteer member of the College Park Volunteer Fire Department and later hired by the Prince George’s County in June 1995. Committed to education and personal growth, Conver-White pursued an Associates of Applied Science Degree in Fire Science Technology from the College of Southern Maryland and is currently enrolled at University of Maryland University College, working on a Bachelor’s Degree in Emergency Management.
When Conver-White was appointed the department’s first on-duty safety officer, she had no idea what to do, but was told to identify the training and the department would send her. “I Googled ‘safety officer’ and found the FDSOA Safety Forum,” Conver-White said. “From that one conference, it lit my fire! I was like a sponge taking it all in and was almost overwhelmed with all I learned.”
In creating the Operational Safety Objectives for Prince George’s department, Conver-White wrote the mission statement: “To develop programs that enable, or increase the likelihood of, all Fire/EMS personnel returning home safely and without injury.”
Over the course of her career, Conver-White has had unique opportunities to benefit her role as a safety officer, including being part of the response to the F4 La Plata tornado in 2002 and organizing WMD operations training for members of the department. She has coordinated numerous seminars including Courage to Work Safe and Live Healthy, Lifesaving Leadership, and Learning from the Past Improving the Future demonstrated her dedication to the safety and development of others. She also chaired the Washington Metropolitan Council of Governments (COG) Safety and Health Committee from 2008-2015.
Members of Conver-White’s department confirm that she is passionate about ensuring the health and safety of all personnel. “I believe that a positive shift in the safety culture within our department will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of all areas of operations,” she said. “This will enhance our service to the community and confirm the commitment we have to our families to return home safely.”
After Conver-White received the Safety Officer of the Year Award, she was asked what had to be done to effectively change the safety culture of her department. She responded, “I told them it’s still a work in progress, but we’re continually improving safety in the fire service community every day. It takes more than the efforts of one person in order to successfully transform a culture. It takes a team of dedicated professionals, focused on making a positive impact on safety, one contact at a time.”
Conver-White encourages newly appointed safety officers to seek out training opportunities like the FDSOA Safety Forum www.fdsoa.org and IAFC conferences and to use online resources like the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation www.firehero.org, Near-Miss www.firefighternearmiss.com and www.firefighterclosecalls.com websites. In particular, build partnerships with other fire departments to share policies and procedures related to safety issues.
The role of safety officer has changed significantly to a more risk management role than just operations and according to Conver-White, “Safety officers need to incorporate the big picture. When you mandate you wear SCBA during rehab as this building is still off gassing, it’s not popular. That’s the big difference between the incident commander and the safety officer. The SO has to embrace the total health and safety of the personnel.”
“Safety touches every aspect of the department,” Conver-White stated and believes the position of safety officer needs to be someone that cares and wants to be in the role, not just appointed.
Asked for advice to new safety officers, she replied, “Changing a culture means making incremental changes over time. Stay organized; focus on the goal and on the mission at hand.”
To learn more about Battalion Chief Conver-White, visit: http://pgfdpio.blogspot.com/2015/06/battalion-chief-graduatessuma-cum-laude.html?m=1.
The Fire Department Safety Officers Association was established in 1989 as a non-profit Association, incorporated in Massachusetts. In 2013, the offices moved to Michigan. Its mission is to promote safety standards and practices in the fire, rescue and emergency services community. The Association is led by a volunteer Board of Directors and has a small staff to handle the day to day operations. It is the Association dedicated to the issues that affect the critical role of Safety Officer in protecting and promoting the safety and health responsibilities of fire departments, communities and first responders. FDSOA works to helps fire departments achieve proficiency, promote the recognition of training and skills and a secure future.
